Preventing STI in WomenImproving Women’s Health with the MSN-2the first medical device that Earth Science Pharma is bringing to market. The MSN-2, which will be launched shortly, is a product that allows a woman to safely and privately manage her own STI testing -initially for chlamydia trachomatis – and soon after for gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and other STI. Using the MSN-2 a woman can take her own sample for testing.

Why is safe testing so important?The incidences of all STI infections are growing rapidly, and chlamydia infections are growing the fastest, particularly among sexually active women. It is common knowledge that the best way to stop the spread is to ensure that people know whether or not they are infected so that they can get treated and avoid passing the infection on. Many women have no access to testing, and the health issues caused by the infection are severe if it’s untreated. These include damage to the reproductive organs and infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease; and blindness in children of mothers with chlamydia.

How does MSN-2 work?The MSN-2 looks like an ordinary menstrual pad and is worn the same way. A woman wears the MSN-2 for just four hours (or longer), and the pad collects a sample that is proven sufficient for laboratory analysis without any doubt or error. Soon, the device will be certified to allow the single sample to be tested for more than one STI. Once the sample has been collected, the woman simply:1- puts the pad in the special envelope that comes in the kit,2- removes the printed tab from the envelope,3- seals the envelope, and 4- puts it in the mail.The envelope goes directly to a dedicated lab that does the testing. The printed tab has a serial number, which is also on the envelope and on the MSN-2. Several days after she mails the envelope, the woman either looks up her serial number on our website (www.msn-2.com) or she can phone a toll-free number to get her results. No one will ever ask her for her name. Both the website and the nurses on the phone will offer treatment information in the event of a positive test.

How will MSN-2 change the landscape?In a medical sense, this new device will be an important weapon in the fight against the spread of STI and the damage they do to women. Knowing that she is infected, a woman can immediately seek treatment to avoid the long-term damage that the infection can cause, while taking measures to avoid spreading the infection to others. In an economic sense, this new device may be even more important. In developing countries, where local access to medical care and testing is not available everywhere, particularly in rural areas, the MSN-2 is an easy and effective way to offer testing without having to send in a doctor and nurse. In developed countries that have government-run single payer healthcare, the savings will be significant from two standpoints. The MSN-2 testing is considerably less expensive per test that current practices. In addition, more women tested and receiving early treatment means less medical expense down the road when the effects of the infection are dramatic, damaging, and require hospitalization or surgery. In developed countries where citizens must purchase health insurance in the marketplace, these reduced costs will accrue to the insurance companies and may result in lower premiums for the insured. MSN-2 is the product with which the company is launching, but it’s only the first of many innovative products from Earth Science Pharma.